JP3421521B2 - Processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for performing processing such as coating and development on an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer or LCD substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a semiconductor device manufacturing process,
A series of treatments, in which a treatment liquid such as a photoresist liquid is applied to a semiconductor wafer typified by a silicon substrate, a circuit pattern or the like is reduced using a photolithography technique to expose a photoresist film, and this is developed. There is a process of applying.

In such a coating / developing processing system, a semiconductor wafer as an object to be processed is unloaded from a cassette, a cassette station for loading the wafer into the cassette, a cleaning unit for cleaning the wafer, and a wafer surface having a hydrophobic surface. Adhesion unit for chemical treatment, cooling unit for cooling the wafer to a predetermined temperature, resist coating unit for coating the resist liquid on the surface of the wafer, and baking for pre-baking or post-baking for heating the wafer before and after coating the resist liquid A unit, a peripheral exposure unit for removing the resist on the peripheral portion of the wafer, a wafer transfer table for transferring the wafer between the adjacent exposure apparatuses, and exposing the exposed wafer to a developing solution. A developing unit that selectively dissolves the exposed or unexposed areas of the resist in a developing solution. Has a consolidation with the structures in the body,
This improves work.

As such a processing system, conventionally,
A wafer transfer path is provided along the longitudinal direction in the central part of the system, and the plurality of units are installed on both sides of the transfer path with their front sides facing each other to transfer the wafer to each unit. In general, the wafer transfer body is configured to move on the wafer transfer path. Therefore, a horizontally long system configuration in which various processing units are arranged along the wafer transfer path extending in the horizontal direction, and the occupied space of the entire system increases,
There is a problem that the clean room cost is high. In particular, when trying to increase the overall through each section of the cleanliness system by effective vertical laminar flow system for this type of processing system, since the space is large, initial cost and maintenance costs, such as air conditioner or the filter rather suspended very high .

Therefore, a processing system has been proposed in which the wafer transfer body is movable in the vertical direction and rotatable about a vertical axis, and the processing units are arranged in multiple stages around the wafer transfer body (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4 (1998) -26498). -85812). According to such a processing system, since the space occupied by the system is reduced, the clean room cost is reduced, and the transport speed and the access speed can be increased, so that the throughput can be improved.

[0006]

However, in such a processing system, there is a limit to the number of layers due to the height of the clean room and the like, and there is a demand for further improvement in throughput. It may be difficult to satisfy the requirements sufficiently. In addition, there is an even greater demand for processing diversity. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a processing apparatus that can perform processing with extremely high throughput and high diversity.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides (1) a processing apparatus for performing a process including a plurality of steps on an object to be processed, the apparatus extending along a vertical direction. Transport path to
A plurality of processing units that are arranged around the transport path and that are configured by vertically stacking a plurality of processing units that respectively perform a predetermined process on an object to be processed; A plurality of processing sets each having a main transfer mechanism for loading and unloading an object to and from each processing unit of a plurality of processing units, and further between sets for transferring an object to be processed between adjacent processing sets. has a transport mechanism, wherein one of the processing units one has adjacent processing sets bracts, 1 bract, the processing sets of processing units other has a
The two processing units, which are provided adjacent to each other in a state of being sandwiched by the respective main transport mechanisms, each further have a transport unit for transporting an object to be processed.
The two transfer units are at the same height and communicate with each other , and the main transfer mechanism of each adjacent processing set is
An object to be processed with respect to the transport unit of each processing set
Is capable carried into and out, the set inter-transport mechanism, the process is characterized in that for conveying the object to be processed between processing sets the adjacent moving between two conveying units that the communication <br/> communication device I will provide a. According to the processing apparatus having such a configuration, the number of processing units can be dramatically increased, so that the throughput can be significantly improved and the variety of processing can be increased.

Further, the present invention is (2) a processing apparatus for performing resist coating / development processing on an object to be processed, which is provided with a transportation path extending in the vertical direction and arranged around the transportation path. And a plurality of processing units including a processing unit including a resist coating unit that coats a resist on the object to be processed and / or a developing unit that develops the pattern of the resist are vertically stacked. A processing unit, a heating unit that heats the object to be processed, a cooling unit that cools the object to be processed, and a plurality of processing units including a transport unit that transports the object to be processed are vertically stacked, and at least A plurality of second processing units including two facing each other across the transport path, and a plurality of second processing units that move along the transport path and are provided to the processing units of the first and second processing units. A plurality of processing sets each having a main transfer mechanism for loading and unloading an object to be processed, and an inter-set transfer mechanism for transferring an object to be processed between adjacent processing sets; One of the two second processing units that face each other across the transport path, and the other one of the two second processing units that face each other across the transport path , provided adjacent to each other in a state sandwiched between the respective main transport mechanisms the processing sets have a second processing unit of two of these adjacent further have a transport unit either workpiece is transported and, these two transport units are communicated with each other in the same height, the neighbor to
The main transport mechanism of each processing set is
The object to be processed can be carried in and out of the carrying unit of
Ri, the set inter-transfer mechanism provides a processing apparatus, characterized in that for conveying the object to be processed between processing sets the adjacent moving between two conveying units that the communication.

The present invention further provides (3) a processing apparatus for performing resist coating / development processing on an object to be processed, which is a processing station for performing a series of processing including resist coating and development processing on the object to be processed. And a transfer station for transferring the object to be processed to and from another apparatus and to the processing station, and an interface unit for transferring the object to be processed between the processing station and the exposure apparatus. ,,
The processing station includes a transport path extending along the vertical direction, and a resist coating unit that is disposed around the transport path and applies a resist to an object to be processed and / or a developing unit that develops a resist pattern. At least one first processing unit configured by vertically stacking a plurality of processing units including a processing unit, a heating unit for heating an object to be processed, a cooling unit for cooling the object to be processed, and an object to be processed. A plurality of processing units including a transport unit that transports a body are stacked in the vertical direction, and a plurality of second processing units including at least two facing each other across the transport path and the transport path are moved. And a plurality of processing sets each including a main transfer mechanism that loads and unloads the object to and from the processing units of the first and second processing units, To have a set inter-transport mechanism for transporting the workpiece between the adjacent processing sets, processing of the adjacent
One of the reset has, opposite one of the two second processing section for sandwiching the conveyance path has the other,
1 bracts of the two second processing unit that face each other across the conveying path, provided adjacent to each other in a state sandwiched between the respective main transport mechanisms the processing sets have, of two of these adjacent first second processing unit are both further include a conveying unit in which the processing object is transferred, the two transport units are in communication with each other in the same height, the
The main transport mechanism of each adjacent processing set
Objects to be processed can be carried in and out of the transfer unit of the set
And the inter-set transfer mechanism has two communicating parts.
And an object to be processed is conveyed between adjacent processing sets by moving between the conveyance units.

The processing apparatus according to the inventions of (2) and (3) is one in which the processing apparatus according to the invention of (1) is applied to a resist coating / development processing apparatus, and is further embodied. The configuration realizes resist coating / development processing with extremely high throughput.

In the inventions of (1), (2) and (3),
It is preferable that the transport unit has two transport ports and that different transport ports are used for loading and unloading an object to be processed. In this case, since it can be transported regardless of the loading / unloading timing,
Throughput is further improved.

Further, the inter-set transfer mechanism may have a transfer arm for transferring an object to be processed between one of the transfer units and the other transfer unit, or the object to be processed in the transfer unit. It may have a moving means for moving the stage and thereby carrying the object to be processed between the one carrying unit and the other carrying unit. In any case, the object to be processed can be transported quickly.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the processing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a semiconductor wafer resist coating / developing processing system will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a resist coating / developing system according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a rear view of FIG.

This processing system comprises a cassette station 10 as a transfer station, a processing station 20 having a plurality of processing units, and a processing station 2.
0 and an exposure device (not shown) provided adjacent to the wafer 0.

In the cassette station 10, a plurality of semiconductor wafers W to be processed are loaded in the wafer cassette 1 in units of 25, for example, and are carried into or from this system by another system. It is for carrying out and carrying the wafer W between the wafer cassette 1 and the processing station 20.

In this cassette station 10, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of (four in the figure) protrusions 3 are formed on the cassette mounting table 2 along the X direction in the figure. At each position, the wafer cassettes 1 can be placed in a line with the respective wafer entrances and exits facing the processing station 20 side. In the wafer cassette 1, the wafers W are arranged in the vertical direction (Z direction). Also,
The cassette station 10 includes the wafer cassette mounting table 2
The wafer transfer mechanism 4 is located between the processing station 20 and the processing station 20. The wafer transfer mechanism 4 has a wafer transfer arm 4a that is movable in the cassette arrangement direction (X direction) and the wafer arrangement direction of the wafers W therein (Z direction).
And one of the wafer cassettes 1 can be selectively accessed by the arm 4a. The wafer transfer arm 4a is configured to be rotatable in the θ direction, and can transfer the wafer W to and from a transfer unit (TR) 46 belonging to the group G3 on the processing station 20 side described later.

The processing station 20 is provided with a plurality of processing units for performing a series of steps for applying / phenomenon to the semiconductor wafer W, and these processing units are arranged at predetermined positions in multiple stages. By semiconductor wafer W
Are processed one by one. This processing station 20
As shown in FIG. 1, it has two processing sets 20a and 20b. These processing sets 20a and 20b have transfer paths 22a and 22b at their central portions, respectively, and main wafer transfer mechanisms 21a and 2b that can move in the transfer paths 22a and 22b in the vertical direction.
1b is provided, and all the processing units are arranged around the wafer transfer paths 22a and 22b. The plurality of processing units are divided into a plurality of processing units, and each processing unit has a plurality of processing units arranged in multiple stages along the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the processing set 20
a is five processing units G1, G2, G3, G4 and G5
Are arranged around the wafer transfer path 22a, and
The processing set 20b also includes five processing units G6, G7, G8,
G9 and G10 are arranged around the wafer transfer path 22b, and the wafer transfer paths 22a and 22b are substantially closed spaces.

Of these, the processing units G1, G2, G6
G7 is arranged in parallel on the front side (front side in FIG. 1) of the system, the processing section G3 is arranged adjacent to the cassette station 10, and the processing section G9 is arranged in the interface section 30.
To be disposed adjacent the processing unit G4, G 8 is arranged so as to be adjacent to the central portion of the processing station 20, the processing section G
5 and G10 are arranged on the back side.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, in the processing section G1 of the processing set 20a, two spinners for carrying out predetermined processing by placing the wafer W on the spin chuck (not shown) in the cup 23 are provided. The mold processing units are arranged one above the other,
In this embodiment, a resist coating unit (COT) for coating a resist on the wafer W and a developing unit (DEV) for developing a resist pattern are stacked in two stages from the bottom. Similarly, the processing section G2 also includes a resist coating unit (CO) as two spinner type processing units.
T) and the developing unit (DEV) are stacked in two stages in order from the bottom. Further, the processing unit G6 of the processing set 20b is
G7 also has the same arrangement.

In this way, the resist coating unit (CO
The reason for disposing T) on the lower side is that the waste liquid of the resist liquid is essentially more complicated than the waste liquid of the developer in terms of mechanism and maintenance, and thus the coating unit (COT) is arranged in the lower stage. This will reduce the complexity. However, it is also possible to arrange the resist coating unit (COT) on the upper stage if necessary.

In the processing section G3 of the processing set 20a, as shown in FIG. 3, an oven type processing unit and a transfer unit for mounting the wafer W on the mounting table 24 (see FIG. 1) and performing a predetermined processing are provided. 7 layers are stacked. Specifically, the adhesion processing unit (A
D) 47a, transport unit (TR) 46a, two chill plate units (CP) 44a, 45a, and three hot plate units (HP) 43a, 42a, 4
1a is arranged.

Of these, the hot plate units (HP) 41a, 42a, 43a are for subjecting the semiconductor wafer W to a heating process such as a pre-baking process or a post-baking process, and a chill plate unit (C).
P) 44a and 45a are for cooling the semiconductor wafer W whose temperature has been raised by the processing, and the transfer unit (TR) 46
Reference numeral a is for transferring the semiconductor wafer W between the cassette station and the processing set 20a. Further, the adhesion processing unit (AD) 47a performs a hydrophobic treatment on the semiconductor wafer W.

Similarly, the processing section G4, as shown in FIG.
Seven stages of oven-type processing units and transfer units are arranged. Specifically, the chill plate unit (CP) 54a and the transport unit (TR) 53 are arranged in order from the bottom.
a, and five hot plate units (HP) 52
a, 51a, 50a, 49a, 48a are arranged.

The processing section G8 of the processing set 20b has the same structure as the processing section G3, and the adhesion processing unit (AD) 47b and the transport unit (T) are arranged in this order from the bottom.
R) 46b, two chill plate units (CP) 44
b, 45b, and 3 hot plate units (H
P) 43b, 42b, 41b are arranged.

The processing section G9 has the same structure as the processing section G4, and the chill plate unit (C
P) 54b, transport unit (TR) 53b, and five hot plate units (HP) 52b, 51b, 5
0b, 49b, 48b are arranged. The transport unit 53a of the processing section G4 and the transport unit 53b of the processing section G9 are equipped with a chill plate and can cool the semiconductor wafer W.

As described above, the processing section G4 of the processing set 20a and the processing section G8 of the processing set 20b are adjacent to each other, and the transfer unit 53a and the processing section G of the processing section G4 are adjacent to each other.
The semiconductor wafer W can be transferred between the processing set 20 and the processing set 20b by the inter-set transfer mechanism described later via the eight transfer units 46b. In this case, both transport units 53a and 46
b are arranged at the same height, so that the semiconductor wafer W can be transferred between these processing sets very easily and smoothly.

The processing units G5, G10 located on the back side of the main wafer transfer mechanism 21 are basically processing units G3, G4, G.
Similar to No. 8 and G9, it has a structure in which open type processing units are stacked in multiple stages. This processing unit G5, G10
Can be moved laterally along the guide rail 25 when viewed from the main wafer transfer mechanism 21. Therefore,
Since the space is secured by sliding the processing units G5 and G10, the maintenance work can be easily performed from behind with respect to the main wafer transfer mechanisms 21a and 21b.

The interface portion 30 has the same length in the X direction as the processing station 20. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a portable pickup cassette 3 is provided on the front surface of the interface portion 30.
1 and the fixed type buffer cassette 32 are arranged in two stages,
A peripheral exposure device 33 is arranged on the back surface, and
A wafer transfer arm 34 is provided. The wafer transfer arm 34 moves in the X and Z directions to move both cassettes 3
The wafer can be transferred to the peripheral exposure apparatus 1, 32 and the peripheral exposure apparatus 33. The wafer transfer arm 34 is rotatable in the θ direction, and is also attached to the transfer unit 53b belonging to the processing section G9 of the processing set 20b of the processing station 20 and the wafer transfer table (not shown) on the adjacent exposure apparatus side. The wafer W can be transferred.

As described above, the transfer between the processing set 20a and the processing set 20b is performed via the transfer unit 53a of the processing section G4 and the transfer unit 46b of the processing section G8, and the set used at that time. The inter-transport mechanism will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the transfer unit 53a of the processing section G4 has two transfer ports, and two stages 61 and 62 correspondingly. The transport unit 46b of the processing section G8 also has two transport ports, and the two stages 63,
64. In the figure, reference symbol P is a pin for carrying a semiconductor wafer.

The inter-set transfer mechanism comprises two transfer arms 6
The transfer arm 65 transfers the semiconductor wafer W from the stage 62 of the transfer unit 53a to the stage 64 of the transfer unit 46b.
Transfers the semiconductor wafer from the stage 63 of the transfer unit 46b to the stage 61 of the transfer unit 53a.

As described above, each transport unit has two transport ports and the corresponding stages, so that the transport route can be divided for loading and unloading, and the transport can be performed regardless of the timing of loading and unloading. Since it can be carried, it can be transported quickly and the throughput can be further improved. If a chill plate is used for the stage 62, for example, the semiconductor wafer W can be cooled at the same time.

The configuration shown in FIG. 5 can be adopted instead of the configuration shown in FIG. Here, the transport units 53a and 46b have two transport ports, which is the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 4, but the transport units have common stages 67 and 68.

In this case, the inter-set transfer mechanism includes a moving mechanism (not shown) for independently moving the stages 67 and 68, and a rail 69 for guiding these stages. Then, the semiconductor wafer W loaded into the transport unit 53a is placed on the stage 68 and the stage 6
The whole 8 is guided by the rail 69 and conveyed to the conveying unit 46b. Further, the semiconductor wafer W carried into the carrying unit 46b is placed on the stage 67 and the stage 6
The whole 7 is guided by the rail 69 and conveyed to the conveying unit 53a.

The processing system configured as described above is
It is installed in a clean room to improve the cleanliness, but the vertical laminar flow is efficiently supplied in the system to further enhance the cleanliness of each part.
6 and 7 show the flow of clean air in the system,
And the atmosphere control mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 6, the processing sets 20a and 20 of the cassette station 10 and the processing station 20 are shown.
Air supply chambers 18, 28a, 28b, 38 are provided above b and the interface portion 30, and a filter having a dustproof function, for example, ULPA filter 70 is provided on the lower surface of these air supply chambers 18, 28a, 28b, 38. It is installed. Of these, air is introduced into the air supply chambers 18 and 38 through a pipe to be described later, and clean air is downflowed to the cassette station 10 and the interface unit 30 by the ULPA filter 70. Further, as described later, the air supply chambers 28a and 28b
Similarly, air is also introduced into the processing unit 20 in a downflow manner by the filter.

As shown in FIG. 7, each processing set 20a,
Above the wafer transfer paths 22a and 22b of 20b, air supply ports 71a and 71b for supplying air thereto, respectively.
Is provided below the wafer transfer paths 22a and 22b.
Exhaust ports 72a, 72 for exhausting the air supplied to the
b is provided. The aforementioned air supply chambers 28a, 28b
Are provided at the connection between the air supply port 71a and the air supply pipe 73a and at the connection between the air supply port 71b and the air supply pipe 73b, respectively, and the ULPA filter 70 is attached to the lower surface of these. A chemical filter 74 having a function of removing organic contaminants such as amine is attached above them.

Exhaust ports 72a and 72b and exhaust pipe 73
Exhaust chambers 75a and 7a are provided at the connecting portions with a and 73b, respectively.
5b is provided, and perforated plates 76a having exhaust ports 72a, 72b formed on the upper surfaces of the exhaust chambers 75a, 75b,
76b is attached, and exhaust fans 77a, 77b are arranged in the exhaust chambers 75a, 75b. In addition, pressure adjusting means such as slit dampers 78a and 78b are provided at the connection between the exhaust chambers 75a and 75b and the exhaust pipes 73a and 73b.
Is provided.

The slit dampers 78a and 78b are provided with a fixed porous plate having a large number of ventilation holes and a large number of adjusting holes which can be reciprocally moved in the horizontal direction on the lower surface of the fixed porous plate so as to match the ventilation holes. Having a movable perforated plate having, by moving the movable perforated plate in the horizontal direction by an appropriate reciprocating driving means such as a cylinder mechanism or a timing belt mechanism, the opening area is adjusted to adjust the ventilation amount. Accordingly, the pressure in the wafer transfer spaces 22a and 22b is adjusted. For example, the pressure in the wafer transfer space can be set to a positive pressure with respect to the pressure in the clean room. Here, the case where the slit damper is used as the pressure adjusting means has been described, but the pressure adjusting means does not necessarily have to be the slit damper, and the transport paths 22a, 22 may be used.
Other than the slit damper, any other material can be used as long as the passage area of the air exhausted from inside b can be adjusted.

The pipes 73a and 73b form a circulation path, and blower fans 81a and 81b are provided in the middle of the circulation paths, whereby a downflow is formed in the conveyance paths 22a and 22b. In these pipes 73a and 73b, between the blower fan 81a and the slit damper 78a, and between the blower fan 81b and the slit damper 78b,
Outside air introducing pipes 79a, 79 for introducing outside air, respectively
b are provided, and these outside air introduction pipes 79a and 79b are provided.
The dampers 80a and 80b are attached to each of them as an air volume adjusting mechanism. And the blower fan 81
a, 81b are driven and the dampers 80a, 80b are opened at a predetermined opening degree, whereby the outside air introduction pipes 79a, 79b are opened.
The outside air, that is, the clean air in the clean room, flows from b to the transfer paths 22a and 2b via the pipes 73a and 73b, respectively.
2b is supplied. Therefore, the transport paths 22a, 22
Even if the clean air supplied to the inside b flows to each processing unit and is lost, the air amount is replenished from the outside air inlets 79a and 79b so that the air amount of the clean air constantly flowing in the transport path spaces 22a and 22b is constant. Can be maintained at. As the air flow rate adjusting mechanism, another device such as a flow rate adjusting valve may be used instead of the damper.

A temperature controller 82a for controlling the temperature of the clean air supplied into the transfer paths 22a and 22b is provided between the blower fans 81a and 81b and the air supply chamber 20a in the circulation conduits 73a and 73b, respectively. 82b is interposed. Although not shown, the piping 73
The humidity in the transport paths 22a and 22b can also be controlled by providing an appropriate humidity adjusting means in the a and 73b.

The slit damper 7 constructed as described above
8a, 78b, dampers 80a, 80b and temperature controllers 82a, 82b are controlled by control signals from a central processing unit (CPU) 90 as a control means. That is, the signals detected by the pressure / air volume sensors (not shown) arranged on the air supply port sides of the transport paths 22a and 22b are transmitted to the CPU 90, and the detection signal and the information stored in advance in the CPU 90 are transmitted. By performing a comparison operation and transmitting the control signal to the slit dampers 78a, 78b and the dampers 80a, 80b, the pressure in the transport paths 22a, 22b and the supplied clean air volume are controlled to predetermined values. .

Further, a temperature signal detected by a temperature sensor (not shown) arranged on the lower side of each of the transport paths 22a and 22b is transmitted to the CPU 90, and the temperature signal and the information stored in advance in the CPU 90 are transmitted. By performing a comparison calculation and transmitting the control signal to the temperature controllers 82a and 82b, the clean air flowing through the pipes 73a and 73b is controlled to a predetermined temperature, for example, 23 ° C., and the clean air at that temperature is transferred in the transport paths 22a and 22b. Is supplied to. Therefore, the atmosphere in the transport paths 22a and 22b, that is, the pressure, the air flow rate, and the temperature can always be controlled to predetermined values, and each processing in the processing system can be suitably performed.

Further, in such an atmosphere control system, the atmospheres of the transport paths 22a and 22b can be individually controlled. Therefore, the transport paths 22a and 22b
The atmosphere can be made different by and, and extremely highly diverse processing is realized. For example, the conveying paths 22a and 22b may have different pressures, and a processing unit requiring a higher degree of cleanliness may be arranged on the side of the processing set having a higher pressure. It is also possible to arrange a processing unit. Further, the coating unit may be arranged on the side of one processing set and the developing unit may be arranged on the side of the other processing set to set an atmosphere suitable for each. In this case, in addition to the ULPA filter, a chemical filter may be provided only on the developing unit side.

Furthermore, since the clean air is circulated and supplied into the transfer paths 22a and 22b, the internal air does not flow out to the outside of the processing system, that is, the clean room.
No particles or organic contaminants generated in the processing system will leak to the clean room.

In the cassette station 10, as shown in FIG. 6, the space above the cassette mounting table 2 and the moving space of the wafer transfer arm 4a are partitioned from each other by a partition wall type partition plate 5, and the down space is lowered. The flow space is designed to flow separately in both spaces.

Further, in the processing station 20, as shown in FIG. 6, a resist coating unit (COT) arranged in the lower part of the processing sections G1, G2, G6 and G7.
The ULPA filter 85 is provided on the ceiling surface of, and the air supplied from the circulation pipelines 73a and 73b into the transport paths 22a and 22b flows into the resist coating unit (COT) through the ULPA filter 85.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the main wafer transfer mechanism 2 of each spinner type processing unit (COT), (DEV).
The side wall facing 1a and 21b is provided with an opening 29 through which the wafer W and the transfer arm enter and leave.
A shutter (not shown) is attached to each opening 29 to prevent particles or organic contaminants from entering the main wafer transfer mechanism side from each unit.

By the way, the processing section G3 of the processing set 20a
Also, the processing section G8 of the processing set 20b is provided with adhesion processing units 47a and 47b for performing the hydrophobic treatment on the semiconductor wafer W. These adhesion processing units 47a and 47b use HMDS gas, but since this processing is performed in a semi-open unit rather than a completely sealed unit, the HMDS gas may leak outside the unit. When such a gas enters another open type processing unit, the semiconductor wafer W which is the object to be processed
Adversely affect.

However, as shown in FIG. 3, the adhesion processing units 47a and 47b are provided below the heating unit, the cooling unit, and the transfer unit, and the downflow of purified air is performed in the transfer paths 22a and 22b. Is formed, the adhesion processing unit 4
The HMDS gas leaked from 7a and 47b flows downward due to the downflow and is quickly discharged, and there is almost no possibility of entering the other processing units. Therefore, HM
It is possible to prevent the DS gas from adversely affecting the semiconductor wafer W of another processing unit. In addition, the cooling units 45a and 45b and the adhesion processing unit 47
Since the transport units 46a and 46b are interposed between the a and 47b, thermal mutual interference can be suppressed.

Further, in the processing sections G4 and G9, the hot plate unit, which is a heating unit, and the chill plate unit, which is a cooling unit, are arranged below the transport units 53a and 53b, so that in this case. Moreover, thermal mutual interference can be suppressed.

Next, the processing operation of the entire system will be described. First, in the cassette station 10,
The wafer transfer arm 4a of the wafer transfer mechanism 4 accesses the cassette 1 containing the unprocessed wafer W on the cassette mounting table 2, and one wafer W from the cassette 1 is accessed.
Take out. After the alignment of the wafer W, the main wafer transfer mechanism 2 of the processing set 20a in the processing unit 20.
The arm 1a carries the semiconductor wafer W into the adhesion processing unit 47a belonging to the processing section G3.

The semiconductor wafer after the adhesion process is cooled in one of the chill plate units (CP), and then is coated with a resist by spin coating in a coating unit (COT). After that, pre-baking is performed in one of the hot plate units (HP) and cooled by the cooling unit.

In this case, the semiconductor wafer W is transferred from the processing set 20a to the processing set 20b at any time by the above-described inter-set transfer mechanism via the transfer units 53a and 46b, and after the predetermined processing is completed,
The semiconductor wafer W is transferred to the interface section 30 by the arm of the main transfer mechanism 21b. In the interface unit 30, the peripheral exposure is performed by the peripheral exposure apparatus, and then the semiconductor wafer W is transferred to the adjacent exposure apparatus and the entire surface exposure is performed.

When the exposure process is completed, the wafer transfer arm 34 of the interface section 30 receives the wafer W and carries the received wafer W into the transfer unit 54b belonging to the processing section G9 of the processing set 20b in the processing station 20, The wafer W is cooled by the cooling plate therein. Then, the main wafer transfer mechanism 21b receives the wafer W, carries the wafer W into one of the developing units (DEV), and performs the developing process. When the developing process is completed, post baking is performed by one of the hot plate units (HP). After that, one of the chirpate units (C
It is cooled by P).

At any one of these timings, the transfer units 46b and 53a are transferred from the processing set 20b to the processing set 20a by the inter-set transfer mechanism described above.
The semiconductor wafer W is transferred via the above, and after a predetermined process is completed, the semiconductor wafer W is mounted on the mounting table of the transfer unit 46a by the arm of the main transfer mechanism 21a. Then, the arm 4a of the cassette station 10 receives the wafer W and puts it into a predetermined wafer accommodation groove of the cassette 1 for accommodating the processed wafer on the cassette mounting table 2. This completes a series of processes.

As described above, since two processing sets are provided and the semiconductor wafer is transferred by the inter-set transfer mechanism via the transfer units of the adjacent processing sections G4 and G8, the number of processing units should be extremely increased. Therefore, throughput can be remarkably improved, and highly diverse processing can be performed. Further, while achieving high throughput and high variety of processing in this way, it is possible to carry in and out the object to be processed by one transfer station, as in the conventional case.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified. For example, in the above embodiment, the case where two processing sets are provided has been described, but the number of processing sets is not limited to two. Further, the object to be processed is not limited to the semiconductor wafer, and various types such as an LCD substrate, a glass substrate, a CD substrate, a photomask, and a printed substrate can be applied.

[0058]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since a plurality of processing sets are provided in which a processing unit formed by stacking a plurality of processing units is arranged around the transfer path, and the object to be processed is transferred between the processing sets by the inter-set transfer mechanism, the throughput is extremely high. You can
Further, it is possible to realize highly diverse processing.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a resist solution coating / developing processing system according to an embodiment of a processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the resist solution coating / developing system of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a rear view showing the resist solution coating / developing system of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a mechanism used for the apparatus of FIG. 1 for transporting an object to be processed between processing sets.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of a mechanism used for the apparatus of FIG. 1 for transporting an object to be processed between processing sets.

6 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of clean air in the resist solution coating / developing system of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an atmosphere control system in the resist solution coating / developing system of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Cassette station 20 ... Processing station 20a, 20b ... Processing set 21a, 21b ... Main substrate transfer mechanism 22a, 22b ... Transfer path 46a, 53b ... Transfer unit G1, G2, G3, G4, G57, G6, G7, G8,
G9, G10 ... Processing unit

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (56) Reference JP-A-8-162514 (JP, A) JP-A-3-95039 (JP, A) JP-A-7-183352 (JP, A) JP-A-8- 46010 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01L 21/68 H01L 21/027

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A process comprising a plurality of steps for an object to be processed
A processing device for applying, A transport path extending along the vertical direction, It is arranged around this transport path and is located in relation to the object to be processed.
Vertically stack multiple processing units that perform regular processing
A plurality of processing units configured as While moving the transport path, each of the plurality of processing units
Main transport mechanism for loading and unloading objects to be processed
When, Having a plurality of processing sets, Furthermore, the process for transferring the object to be processed between the adjacent processing sets is performed.
It has a transfer mechanism between One of the processing units included in one of the adjacent processing sets
And one of the processing units of the other, these processing
setEach hasWhile being sandwiched between the main transport mechanisms of
Provided adjacent to each other, These are adjacentTwoThe processing sectionBothTo be processed
The transport unit to be sentfurtherHave theseTwoTransport
The unit isAt the same heightThey are in communication,The main transport mechanism of each adjacent processing set is
Bring the object to be processed into the transfer unit of the processing set
Is available, The inter-set transfer mechanism,The aboveCommunicateTwoTransport Uni
Between the processing sets to carry the object to be processed between the adjacent processing sets.
A processing device characterized by sending. 2. A resist coating / developing process for an object to be processed.
A processing device for applying A transport path extending along the vertical direction, It is placed around this transport path and the resist is applied to the object to be processed.
Of resist coating unit and / or resist
A processing unit including a developing unit for developing the pattern
It is composed by vertically stacking multiple processing units, including
At least one first processing unit, A heating unit that heats the object to be processed and a unit that cools the object to be processed.
Cooling unit and a transport unit for transporting the object to be processed
It is configured by vertically stacking multiple processing units including
And includes at least two facing each other with the transport path interposed therebetween.
A plurality of second processing units, While moving along the transport path, the first and second
Loading and unloading objects to be processed from each processing unit of the processing section
The main transport mechanism, Having a plurality of processing sets, Furthermore, the process for transferring the object to be processed between the adjacent processing sets is performed.
It has a transfer mechanism between The transfer carried by one of the adjacent processing sets
One of the two second processing units facing each other across the road;
The other two second ones that face each other across the transport path
One of the processing units ofHas
EachInstalled adjacent to each other while being sandwiched by the main transport mechanism.
Kicked These are adjacentTwoThe second processing unit isBothTo be processed
A transport unit where the body is transportedfurtherHave theseTwo
ofThe transport unit isAt the same heightIn communication
,The main transport mechanism of each adjacent processing set is
Bring the object to be processed into the transfer unit of the processing set
Is available, The inter-set transfer mechanism,The aboveCommunicateTwoTransport Uni
Between the processing sets to carry the object to be processed between the adjacent processing sets.
A processing device characterized by sending. 3. A resist coating / developing process for an object to be processed.
A processing device for applying One that includes resist coating and development processing for the object to be processed
A processing station for performing a series of processes, Between other equipment and the processing station.
A transfer station for delivering and receiving processing objects, Coverage between the processing station and the exposure equipment.
An interface part that delivers the processing body, Equipped with, The processing station is A transport path extending along the vertical direction, It is placed around this transport path and the resist is applied to the object to be processed.
Of resist coating unit and / or resist
A processing unit including a developing unit for developing the pattern
It is composed by vertically stacking multiple processing units, including
At least one first processing unit, A heating unit that heats the object to be processed and a unit that cools the object to be processed.
Cooling unit and a transport unit for transporting the object to be processed
It is configured by vertically stacking multiple processing units including
And includes at least two facing each other with the transport path interposed therebetween.
A plurality of second processing units, While moving along the transport path, the first and second
Carrying in and out the object to be processed from each processing unit of the processing section
A main transport mechanism that Having a plurality of processing sets, Furthermore, the process for transferring the object to be processed between the adjacent processing sets is performed.
It has a transfer mechanism between The transfer carried by one of the adjacent processing sets
One of the two second processing units facing each other across the road;
The other two second ones that face each other across the transport path
One of the processing units ofHas
EachInstalled adjacent to each other while being sandwiched by the main transport mechanism.
Kicked These are adjacentTwoThe second processing unit isBothTo be processed
A transport unit where the body is transportedfurtherHave theseTwo
ofThe transport unit isAt the same heightIn communication
,The main transport mechanism of each adjacent processing set is
Bring the object to be processed into the transfer unit of the processing set
Is available, The inter-set transfer mechanism communicates with each other.TwoTransport Uni
Between the processing sets to carry the object to be processed between the adjacent processing sets.
A processing device characterized by sending. 4. The transport unit according to claim 1, wherein the transport unit has two transport ports, and different transport ports are used for loading and unloading an object to be processed. The processing device according to claim 1. 5. The inter-set carrying mechanism has a carrying arm for carrying an object to be processed between one carrying unit and the other carrying unit. The processing device according to item 1. 6. The inter-set transfer mechanism includes a moving unit that moves a target object stage in the transfer unit and thereby transfers the target object between one transfer unit and the other transfer unit. The processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: